The present invention relates to computer mouse devices and, more particularly, to a computer mouse device configured to allow cleaning of interior components without disassembling the mouse housing and removing the ball.
A conventional mouse device includes a top cover coupled to a bottom chassis for housing a ball therein. The mouse typically includes two or more buttons. The buttons are detachably connected to the body of the top cover and can be depressed to activate switches mounted on the bottom chassis. The bottom chassis includes a bottom opening with a belly door mounted thereon to expose a portion of the ball for rolling on a working surface. The bottom chassis supports components that sense motion of the ball for controlling movement of a cursor on a computer screen. These components typically include an encoding assembly having encoding wheels with shafts that rub against the ball, a roller biasing the ball toward the encoding wheel shafts, and optical sensors for sensing movement of the encoding wheels that rotate synchronously with the ball. The belly door is detachable from the bottom chassis to remove the ball for cleaning. The top cover and the bottom chassis are connected together by one or more fasteners such as screws.
Conventional mouse devices tend to be complex in structure, cumbersome to clean, and costly to manufacture and assemble.
The present invention provides a simplified mouse device that is inexpensive to produce and easy to assemble and clean.
In accordance with an aspect of the invention, a mouse includes a mouse housing for supporting a ball therein. The housing includes a top coupled with a bottom. The bottom includes an opening having a size smaller than the diameter of the ball. The opening is sized to expose a portion of the ball to roll on a working surface. At least one rotational member is disposed near the opening to contact the ball and rotate synchronously with the ball. For example, the mouse may include a pair of encoder wheel shafts and a biasing roller near the opening to contact the ball.
A ball support is disposed between the top and the bottom for receiving the ball upon turning of the mouse housing upside down. The ball support has a sufficient depth to allow the ball to drop away from the opening in the bottom and to expose and render the rotational member accessible from outside the housing through the opening. As a result, a cleaning instrument can be conveniently inserted through the opening to clean the rotational member in the housing without disassembly.
In some embodiments, the depth of the ball support allows the ball to drop away from the opening to a position such that a distance measured from the opening of the bottom to the center of the ball is substantially greater than the radius of the ball. The distance desirably is at least about 1.2 times, more desirably about 1.5-2 times, the radius of the ball.
The top typically includes a shell having an interior surface facing the bottom. In a specific embodiment, the ball support is connected to the top, and is desirably integrally formed therewith. The ball support at the top may provide an easy way to assemble the mouse with the ball properly positioned inside since the ball can no longer be inserted after assembly of the mouse via a belly door. The housing may further include a ball stopper to space the ball from the interior surface of the shell.
In specific embodiments, the bottom includes a single-piece body without a belly door, and the top includes another single-piece body having at least one button formed integrally therewith. The button is coupled to the body by a U-shaped connection forming a hinge to allow the button to be depressed with respect to the body. Near the front end of the mouse, the top includes at least one hinge projection and the bottom includes at least one hinge ledge. The hinge ledge is aligned with the hinge projection to form a hinge connection near the front end of the mouse. Near the back end of the mouse, the top includes a slotted retainer having a slot and the bottom includes a hook having an angled tip. The angled tip of the hook is engageable with the slot of the slotted retainer to couple the top to the bottom.
The single-piece top and single-piece bottom provide a simple construction. The use of the hinge connection and the hook engagement eliminates the need for using screw drivers or other external tools, thereby making the assembly easier and faster. The elimination of the belly door avoids accidental loss of the ball and creating a choking hazard for children.